Maker Spotlight – Komo Koa

In our Maker Spotlight this week, we’ll be talking about Komo Koa. They’re the makers of fine Hawaiian wood jewelry. We love all things Hawaiian here, so when we started covering koa wood jewelry, it was inevitable that we’d jump into the realm of all things Hawaiian and koa from rings to watches, pendants to bracelets. Koma Koa uses natural koa wood that is native to the region as well as beautiful titanium in all its jewelry.

The company has been creating rings for its customers since 2004. At Koma Koa, they pride themselves on using an approach to their jewelry that leaves the planet better than when they started the creation process. They use an eco-friendly system to finish the wood with low VOC resins. As a family-owned and operated business, they understand the need to leave the planet in great shape for future generations, including their own.

Ché Garcia is the the CEO of the company. From Oregon originally, he moved to the Big Island in 2003 and fell in love with the land as well as the people including the woman who would later become his wife. His time there inspired his passion for all that Hawaii offers like it does for so many others who visit. As a carpenter, Ché wanted to find a durable ring design that was not only unique but could be comfortable and waterproof. This led to the creative spark that would ignite the business.

Tiffany Garcia is the CFO, or Chief of Family Operations as she’s called. She grew up in Holualoa, Hawaii, but graduated college in California before returning to the Big Island where she met Ché. They have two children, now and spend their time traveling from Hawaii to Oregon.

Esme Garcia is the COO of the organization or the Chief Office Organizer as she’s known while Roan Garcia is the COR or the Chief Office Reorganizer. Whenever Esme organizes the office, Roan’s specialty is reorganizing what she’s touched.

Along with the children working in the business, there’s Isaac who is Ché’s younger brother. He’s Chief of Order Fulfillment and handles shipping and other tasks related to getting customers their orders.

Giving Back to the Eco-System

The Garcias participate in Mahalo Aina, which is the initiative to give back to the forest. Hawaii’s Forest Institute in collaboration with Hawaii’s Forest Industry Association supports and protects the ecosystem of Hawaii. The initiative plants trees as well as provides educational programs, maintenance and long-term care for the plantings. The Garcia’s give generously to this initiative that helps to sustain the Hawaiian eco-system that Ché originally fell in love with on his travels there.

Koa Wood Jewelry

The rings they make come in a variety of widths for every taste. The koa wood inlay is available in a classic design where the inlay of koa is wider than the sides of titanium, but there’s variety for everything in between. In some rings like the Modern Koa Wood Inlay Ring, the koa inlay is exactly one third of the other lines of the ring. There’s a ladies and men’s version with simple CZ stone in it. This can also be upgraded to a diamond.

The face of their watches are beautiful Hawaiian koa with a variety of other materials like stainless steel or silicone bands. The bezels and colors match the materials, but each one has an amazing piece of koa inside.

The pendants, bracelets, earrings and money clips feature inlay koa wood that is almost luminescent next to the titanium or stainless steel. With many of the pieces, there’s a definite link back to the islands. The money clip has a design featuring the Hawaiian Islands while some of the pendants feature the individual islands from Maui to Kauai.

They understand the needs of their customers. Small companies, designers and creators know the value of customer service. This is certainly true of Komo Koa where they have a philosophy of “Treat others how you wish to be treated.” They have free shipping overseas. They jokingly say “After all, we’re from Hawaii, it’s pretty much all overseas from here.”

They have an unconditional lifetime warranty on most of their items. They’ll repair or replace it for free, no matter how the damage occurred. Their watches carry a one-year-limited warranty. Rings have a free 30-day size exchange. The rings are comfort fit, which could mean some range in the sizing.

Koma Koa has some truly stunning pieces of jewelry. We love their philosophy as well as their commitment to customer service. When we feature creators in the spotlight, we’re looking for companies and small businesses exactly like the one run by the Garcia family. They’re a small company that truly cares about their customers while creating jewelry that will last for a lifetime.

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